Physiological Observations
Due to various difficulties which do not exist to that extent elsewhere, the physiological observations on the Eskimo are neither as numerous or extended as would be desirable; yet there are some data of value. They extend to the pulse, respiration, temperature, and dynamometric tests of hand pressure. They were made mainly on St. Lawrence and Nunivak Islands, by Moore, Collins, and Stewart. They quite agree, especially after elimination of some records that are clearly erroneous or abnormal. The tests should be extended with even more rigid precautions in future work among the Eskimo.
The results are given below. They were all made in the summer season and on healthy subjects, yet there were numerous indications of temporary disorders, pathological or functional. Even after a careful elimination of the obvious cases of such disorders not a few minor irregularities have doubtless remained, so that the data can not be taken for more than fairly close approximations to the normal.
The data show remarkably low pulse, respiration rate and temperature close to those of whites, with a submedium hand pressure. (For comparative data see "Old Americans.") The low pulse is also characteristic in the Indian, as I have repeatedly pointed out before (see especially my "Physiological and Medical Observations among the Indians," etc., Bull. 34, Bur. Amer. Ethn., Washington, 1908).
The dynamometric tests agree also better with those on the Indians than with those on whites; they are valid only as to the hands, and they embody not only the strength of the muscles but also that of the conscious impulse behind them. The age factor, of importance, does not here enter materially into the case.
| Pulse[132] | Respiration[133] | Temperature[134] | Strength (Collins dynamometer) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure right hand | Pressure left hand | |||
| (63) | (54) | (61) | (60) | (60) |
| 62.1 | 20.1 | 98.64 | 34.36 | 28.75 |
| (40-78) | (15-25) | (97.6-99.4) | (19.5-45.5) | (19.5-44) |
| (47) | (47) | (47) | (57) | (57) |
| [135]61.3 | [135]20.4 | [135]98.84 | [135]34.34 | [135]29.78 |
| FEMALES—SUSPICIOUS CASES ELIMINATED | ||||
| (25) | (25) | (25) | (47) | (47) |
| 72.4 | 20 | 99.13 | 20.13 | 16.81 |
| (54-84) | (15-23) | (98.4-99.9) | (14.5-29) | (12-22.5) |
| Pulse [132] | Respiration[133] | Temperature[134] |
|---|---|---|
| Males | ||
| (6) | (6) | (6) |
| 63.2 | 18.2 | 98.05 |
| (52-68) | (16-21) | (97.8-98.4) |
The details of these six records were:
| Age (year) | Time of day | Pulse (p. m.) | Respiration | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 4.40 | 60 | 21 | 98.1 |
| 33 | 2 | 66 | 18 | 97.8 |
| 19 | 2.30 | 68 | 18 | 98.2 |
| 45 | 1.25 | 68 | 18 | 98.4 |
| 40 | 1.30 | 64 | (14) | 97.8 |
In connection with the pressure tests in the two hands, some interesting comparisons are possible between the Eskimo here dealt with and the old white Americans. As all the tests were made with the same instrument and method the results inspire confidence. It is in details of this nature that the anthropologist finds again and again the most striking proofs of the basal unity of the living races and their necessarily common origin somewhere in the past.
| Western Eskimo | Old Americans | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Pressure: | Kg. | Kg. | Kg. | Kg. |
| Right hand | 34.36 | 20.13 | 41.8 | 23.3 |
| Left hand | 28.75 | 16.81 | 36.1 | 19.4 |
| Percentage relation of left to right | 83.7 | 83.5 | 86.4 | 83.6 |
| Percentage relation of female to male (M=100) | ||||
| Right hand | 55.8 | 55.5 | ||
| Left hand | 53.7 | 53.7 | ||